Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Romans 8:33

As if a lawyer in a courtroom, Paul argues his case – “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?” Because God is the ultimate authority, who would even dare to do so? In the United States, we have what is known as the “presidential pardon.” If a person is convicted of some crime, the US President has the authority to grant a pardon for that crime. Once the pardon is accepted by the person who has been named (and he can in fact turn it down), the crime is completely erased from the record. No one can ever come to them again and bring that charge against them. The highest authority of the land has approved it and it is gone completely and forever.

Every person on earth has likewise been granted a pardon before God. It is incumbent on them to receive it by calling on Jesus as Lord. When the conditions are met, the pardon is granted. As God is the Creator, He is the highest authority of all. Therefore no person, no spirit, no demon or devil, can bring a charge against one who has been so forgiven. They are the elect of God and have been cleansed by the most purifying substance of all, “the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19).

In Christ’s work in fulfillment of the law, in His death, and in His resurrection “it is God who justifies.” The lost soul is found, the sentence is pardoned, the declaration is pronounced – “Not guilty.” This is the force and intent of what the Bible teaches. And, as an interesting note that no further explanation is needed on this matter, this is the last of the 13 times the word for “justify” is used in Romans.

Again, if one thinks this through with clarity of reasoning, it should be obvious that this implies eternal salvation. If a man is justified before God, will God -who is outside of time – change His mind about what has transpired? Of course not. The translation of this verse even covers that base because in the Greek it can be stated in the form of a question as well as a statement of fact, “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? Shall God who justifies?”

It is absurd in the highest sense to think that God would be fickle enough to condemn the same person He has justified. Eternal salvation is the only obvious conclusion to what has occurred in the pardoned soul.

Life application: Looking at what occurs in the believer from a legal standpoint – and it is a heavenly court by which we will be judged – we can know with absolute certainty that God is perfectly fair in His decisions and that those decisions bear eternal weight. Call on Jesus and rest in His eternal graces.

O God, too often we act as if You could somehow act in an unjust or unrighteous manner. How slow we are to think through Your unchanging and perfect nature. I know that everything You do is in accord with Your nature and that You are perfectly fair in how You conduct all things. I rest in this as a great comfort. You have promised peace through Your Son and so in receiving Him, I have peace. Amen.